468 EXPERIMENT STATION EECOED. 



In order to make the best silage it is necessary to avoid overheating the 

 fodder in order to limit the acetic fermentation and thus to leave the decom- 

 lx»sition of the sugar chiefly to the lactic fermentation process. Lactic fer- 

 mentation may be promoted by the addition to the silage of a solution of milk 

 sugar. In experiments with mechanical pressure applied immediately after 

 the required amount of fodder has been put in, it has been found possible 

 to exclude the air, lov^er the temperature, and thus promote lactic fermenta- 

 tion at the expense of the acetic fermentation. Where mechanical pressure 

 is applied, the silage contains less free acid and consequently smells less 

 strongly. 



In ensiling beet slices it was found necessary to remove all the air from the 

 silo, which was best effected by means of heavy pressure. 



Silag-e and grains for steers, J. W. "Wilson (South Dalcota Sta. Bui. 160 

 {1915), pp. 197-223, figs. 10). — The object of these experiments was to deter- 

 mine the relative value of sorghum silage and corn silage, both with and with- 

 out oil meal for the preliminary gain ; the value of feeding the leguminous 

 hays with silage for the preliminary gain; the relative feeding value of the 

 commonly grown grains with corn silage as the sole roughage ration for fat- 

 tening cattle; and to show how these big cheap gains with silage during the 

 preliminary period could be maintained after the steers were put on a full 

 feed of grain. 



Five lots of four grade Hereford steers each, weighing approximately 675 

 lbs. each, were fed during a preliminary period of 55 days as follows: Lot 1, 

 37 lbs. of corn silage per head per day ; lot 2, 48 lbs. of corn silage and 2.9 lbs. 

 of oil meal ; lot 3. 42 lbs. of corn silage and 3.8 lbs. of oil meal ; lot 4, 40 lbs. 

 of sorghum silage; lot 5, 47 lbs. of sorghum silage and 2.9 lbs. of oil meal. 

 They made average daily gains per head of 1.55, 3.36. 3.12, 0.74, and 1.85 lbs., 

 costing 3.7, 3.55, 4.27, 8.14, and 6.64 cts. per pound of gain for the respective lots. 



These steers were redivided and five lots of four steers each were fed during 

 a 115-day fattening period as follows : Lot 1, 11 lbs. of corn silage, 18 lbs. of 

 ground corn, and 1.8 lbs. of oil meal per head per day; lot 2, 41 lbs. of corn 

 silage and 3 lbs. of oil meal ; lot 3, 11 lbs. of corn silage, 15 lbs. of ground oats, 

 and 1.5 lbs. of oil meal ; lot 4, 11 lbs. of corn silage, 13 lbs. of barley, and 1.3 

 lbs. of oil meal ; lot 5, 11 lbs. of corn silage, 17.6 lbs. of spelt, and 1.8 lbs. of 

 oil meal. These steers made an average daily gain per head of 2.13, 1.46, 2.19, 

 1.9, and 2.17 lbs. for the respective lots. 



In a second experiment five lots of four grade Aberdeen Angus steers each, 

 weighing approximately 775 lbs. each, were fed during a preliminary period of 91 

 days as follows : Lot 1, 59 lbs. of corn silage and 2 lbs. of red clover hay per head 

 per day; lot 2, corn silage ad libitum (an average of about 62 lbs. per head 

 per day) ; lot 3, 58 lbs. of corn silage and 3.84 lbs. of sweet clover hay; lot 4, 

 58 lbs. of corn silage and 16 lbs. of alfalfa hay ; and lot 5, 58 lbs. of corn silage 

 and 12 lbs. of prairie hay. These steers made an average daily gain per head 

 of 2.29, 2.32, 2.45, 2.49, and 2.01 lbs., costing 4.55. 4.03, 4.34, 4.3, and 4.79 cts. 

 per pound of gain for the respective lots. These same lots were then fed 

 during a 101 -day fattening period as follows: Lot 1, 17.4 lbs. of corn silage, 

 15.7 lbs. of ground corn, and 1.5 lbs. of oil meal per head per day; lot 2, 56 

 lbs. of corn silage and 2.93 lbs. of oil meal ; lot 3, 17 lbs. of corn silage, 15 lbs. 

 of ground oats, and 1.5 lbs. of oil meal ; lot 4, 17.4 lbs. of corn silage and 16.5 

 lbs. of barley; lot 5, 17 lbs. of corn silage, 16 lbs. of ground spelt, and 1.7 lbs. 

 of oil meal. These steers made average daily gains of 2.26, 2.24. 1.78, 2.28, 

 and 2.24 lbs., costing 9.37, 6.1, 11.65, 9.65, and 9.47 cts. per pound of gain. 

 For the entire 192 days' feeding period, the costs were 7.2, 5.1, 7.6, 7, and 7.38 

 cts. per pound of gain for the respective lots. 



